CASINO DINING

David Salisbury, a law firm’s director of business development, avid diner

Brandon Hernandez, food writer (Twitter@offdutyfoodie)

Ricardo Heredia, executive chef at Alchemy Restaurant

Of note: Alchemy and The Heart & Trotter Butchery will be hosting a special dinner, “The Rutcher, the Butcher, the Brewer and the Chef,” from 5 to 9 tonight at Alchemy Cultural Fare & Cocktails, 1503 30th St., South Park. Tickets are $48 per person and available at
alchemysandiego.com.

Jeff Josenhans, director of beverage outlets and sommelier at U.S. Grant Hotel

Casinos are more than just gambling establishments — they are a food mecca of dining options. So with a ton of casinos in our own backyard, we asked the Superdiners to share their picks for the best local casino dining.

I’m no longer guilty of profiling casinos as “buffet only” after dining in Mama’s Cucina Italiana at Pala Casino (11154 Highway 76. 760-510-5100 or
palacasino.com). I’ve been driving to Pala for years to dine at Mama’s alone. Forget the casino. House-made pasta, toothsome risotto with gorgeous daily sauces, a world-class osso buco and a balanced branzino (European sea bass) with Manila clams are a few of chef Luciano Cibelli’s triumphs and my favorites. As far as buffets, little-known but in my experience the best is the newly redesigned and re-imagined buffet at Valley View Casino (16300 Nyemii Pass Road, Valley Center. 760-291-5500 or valleyviewcasino.com). The newest of the new, this buffet has taste, style, variety and, of course, the essential element of a casino buffet — quantity.

Not a guy who usually frequents the local casinos, but from time to time, I make the trek east to check out our little piece of Las Vegas right here in San Diego. Nothing says casino dining like an all-you-can-eat buffet, and when you’re looking for quality along with variety, the Barona Resort and Casino (1932 Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside. 619-443-2300 or
barona.com) has the best buffet in town, with Valley View Casino a very close second. These two offer everything you could ever want in an all-you-can-eat setting, including Asian-style short ribs, traditional prime rib and lobster, and all for a reasonable price — and even better when it’s free as a member of one of their frequent-visitor clubs.

I’d like to say that I abstain from gambling because I save all my money for my food adventures, but the truth is, I’m just cheap (though frugal makes me come off a little better). But, truth is, since I don’t gamble, I don’t frequent casino eateries. But I once had a fun, indulgent post-concert meal at the Pink’s Hot Dogs at Harrah’s Rincon Hotel and Casino (777 Harrah’s Rincon Way. 760-751-3100 or
harrahsrincon.com), paid for by the gracious members of Miranda Lambert’s touring band. That was pretty tasty — and way cool.

When I think of casino food, I think of buffets, which I despise. I am strictly business when I hit the floor, and food is the furthest thing from my mind, but after a nice lick on the craps table, I have had a good, dry-aged rib-eye and a ’95 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne at Barona Oaks Steak House (at Barona Resort and Casino). This is a great old-school steak house and deserves its props.

Valley View Casino has the best lobster buffet. There’s always a crazy line for the buffet at this casino, but I can see why. The spread of the delicious food options is impressive, and it feels like I’m at a buffet at one of the mega casinos on the Vegas strip, but on a much smaller scale.

Of note: Congratulations are in order for Joanne, who recently tied the knot on Aug. 5 and honeymooned on the beautiful island of Hawaii.

Of note: The U.S. Grant Hotel’s Grant Grill is rolling out the third in a series of bottled-fermented cocktails (a process of combining the beer and champagne method of fermentation). This month is a remake of the cosmopolitan.